As practice shows, it is quite possible to try the first cucumbers in mid-May or early June. It is only necessary to start sowing work a little earlier than usual. How to get a crop of cucumbers ahead of schedule, I will tell in this article.
Landing methods
There are two ways to grow cucumbers:
- First plant on seedlings and grow at home until the arrival of warm days. After that, transplant the bushes into the greenhouse.
- Sow the seeds immediately in the greenhouse.
I consider the second method to be more effective, since with its help you can get healthy and less pampered seedlings. But the landing will have to be carried out at the end of April, and by this time the earth has not yet had time to warm up properly. To get an early harvest, you need to build a heated greenhouse or carry out special soil and seed treatment. It is also necessary to choose cucumber hybrids that are resistant to cold. I recommend taking F1 Navruz, F1 Primadonna, F1 Siberian or F1 Break.
To increase the resistance of seeds to cold, I use several tricks.
seed hardening
I wrap the unsprouted seed with wet gauze and send it to the refrigerator. The temperature should be around 0 degrees. I keep the seeds in the refrigerator for two days. After that, I immediately sow the seeds in the greenhouse.
Use of stimulants
Before planting, I keep the seeds in a growth stimulator for 8 hours. After planting, once a week I spray the plants with a stimulant solution. Usually I use "Epin" or "Krezatsin".
Greenhouse preparation
I start preparing the greenhouse in autumn: I remove the upper part of the soil, and instead of it I lay organic matter. For example, you can use tops, leaves from fruit trees, straw, grass. When using leaves, you need to additionally sprinkle everything with lime so that the soil does not turn out to be too acidic.
In mid-March, I throw snow into the greenhouse (if it still lies). It will saturate the soil with moisture during thawing.
By the end of March, I cover the soil with black polyethylene. So it warms up much faster. After 1-2 weeks I remove the film.
I bring fresh manure into the ground, sprinkle it with sawdust, after which I mix everything thoroughly with a pitchfork. I spill the resulting substrate with boiling water, and on top I throw a layer of fertile soil with neutral acidity.
Sowing cucumbers
About a week before planting cucumbers in the greenhouse, I sow the germinated seeds in peat pots. 2-3 days before transplanting, I again cover the ground in the greenhouse with a dark film for warming up.
At the same time, I mark the beds and install the arcs. After planting the cucumbers on the arcs, I stretch the covering material.
Until the establishment of stable warm weather, I do not remove the arc with covering material. I take it off only when the temperature inside the greenhouse is about +28 degrees.
Secrets of getting an early and high-quality harvest
Care Tips:
- When the bushes get stronger, I mulch the ground around them with fallen leaves, which I collected in the fall, or with humus. The layer of mulch should be 3-5 cm.
- Proper nutrition is the key to a successful harvest. Once a week I apply complex mineral fertilizers diluted in water. To improve the effect, I additionally add huminates.
- Every 2 weeks I spray cucumbers with a growth stimulator.
- I try to remove yellowed leaves in time, as well as those that are below the fruiting zone.
I hope my tips will help you grow an early harvest of delicious cucumbers. But remember that they won't last long. These cucumbers are best eaten immediately.
How do you grow early cucumbers? Do you have any tricks or tricks? Share them in the comments.
Read also: Whitefly on cucumber leaves: sound the alarm in a timely manner
Another related article: Cucumber seedlings: which cups to choose for convenience and benefit
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